 |
| Tourism Assistant Minister Hon. Cecily Mbarire,Chairman of Kagaari North Farmers Cooperative Society Peter Kianga and Industrialization Assistant Minister Hon. Ndiritu Muriithi during the launch |
The Coffee Farmers’ Agronomy Handbook that documents best practices in coffee agronomy techniques and farming in Kenya was officially launched by the Assistant Minister for Industrialization Hon. Ndiritu Murithii on 28th March 2012 at Kanja factory in Embu.
Kanja Factory is one of the tree factories under the Kagaari North Coffee Farmers Society, a pilot project supported by the Value Chain Based Matching Grant Fund under the MSME Competitiveness Project in the Ministry of Industrialization.
Speaking during the function, Hon. Ndiritu Muriithi said that the Coffee Agronomy Farmer’s Handbook simplifies the approaches to be used by the farmer in growing and tendering coffee bushes through adoption of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). “In addition, it guides the reader to engage in the coffee farming with ease at whatever stage they find themselves in the coffee calendar,” the Assistant Minister for Industrialization Hon. Ndiritu Muriithi noted.
The launch of the Coffee handbook is one of the outcomes of the Technical Assistance given to the coffee producers in an effort to improve competitiveness in the coffee industry. Developed by Fair Trade Organization of Kenya in collaboration with key stakeholders in the coffee industry the handbook’s main objective is to enable Coffee Framers in Kenya to enhance quality and quantity of coffee produced hence improve their livelihoods.
“This Handbook is a market driven product that arose from farmers’ demand and a need for uniform and simplified guidelines that help them in their practical day to day coffee farming practices” said Sophie Njeru, Director, Fair Trade Organization of Kenya.
Speaking at the same event Dr. Anthony Getambu, the Team Leader, of the Matching Grant Fund implemented by Deloitte Consulting mentioned that the handbook addresses the key constraints that have been a setback in the production levels of coffee in Kenya despite the global high demand for the Kenyan coffee. “Coffee farmers can triple their harvest with better agronomy techniques” he added.
If they properly utilize the handbook, farmers will be able to improve the production and quality of their coffee, Hon. Muriithi added as he also emphasized on the capping and branding of coffee from every Farmers Cooperative Society in Kenya and marketing it as such.
The area MP and Assistant Minister for Tourism Cecily Mbarire urged the coffee farmers in the area who had cut down their coffee trees to go back to coffee farming as statistics showed coffee from Kagaari North was among the best grown in Kenya.
Some of the key challenges that the handbook addresses include the selection of suitable varieties, pruning techniques and pest and disease management. The handbook also gives a good guide to all the coffee producers in Kenya with best practices and insights from selected coffee co-operatives societies.
It is expected that with the Handbook in place, the challenge of availability of information for farmers will be overcome and coffee farmers in Kenya will be empowered with the necessary skills and knowledge that will enhance capacity building, market linkages, diversification and other cross cutting issues in the Coffee sector. And as the farmers excitedly chanted during the event, Coffee is money”.
